Because it's an industry with virtually no standards. They'll pretty much take anyone with a pulse, at least a GED (sometimes not even that), who isn't currently stoned or drunk, and who doesn't have any felonies (again, sometimes that's even optional). It's one of the easiest jobs to land. Armed security is a little better, but then you run into the guys who couldn't hack it to become a police officer, but want to carry a gun because they think it makes them a badass, but are the kind of people who should never have access to firearms. I speak from personal experience, and I thank God every day that He gave me the good sense to leave the industry when I did.
It's always been an industry with virtually or in some cases literally no standards, speaking from both first-hand experience (tho it was just one year during uni for extra cash) and from second-hand experience. Like you said, there's a distinction between unarmed and armed security but still, while the pay is better as an armed guard it's still fucking dogshit and depending on location it can be dangerous too. In general companies are so fucking desperate that they even give in to potential employee's demands when it comes to site, or type of security job, or if you only want to work nights etc. They have to do that because the pay is min. wage here, and it's usually like that in most other countries.
They did that with me, I worked security, mostly nights, in a cement factory that was out in the boonies and they were bending over backwards to my demand to only work there as they couldn't find anyone else to work that site, especially nights, as nobody except me lived nearby so they didn't want to bother driving there. And this was 10 years ago, they're even more desperate now and I'll outline how later. During most night shifts quite literally nothing happened and I only had to go check the buildings twice, by which I mean I had to check that all the utilities are working correctly, so I effectively only worked 2 hours in an 8 hour shift and spent the rest of my time studying, writing essays, researching and doing other shit for my uni. I remember the most exciting night shift involved a grand total of two (2) truckers showing up and I just had to write down their names, the company they're from, photocopy their cargo sheet and then point them to the small quarters with a shower, a toilet and 2 bunkbeds that were erected for truckers that arrive at night, so they can rest until the morning shift arrives and unloads their cargo.
As you can see, quite literally anyone can do this, all that's required is the ability to push a button that lifts the barrier and basic literacy. Hell, you can theoretically even do it if you're illiterate, you could have the truckers sign their name and the company they work for. Where I live, the job used to require at least a 3 year high school degree, now you can get it with no degree at all. It used to require an alcohol/drug check, now it doesn't. They used to not pay out expenses for travelling to a site, now they do. It's why there's only three kinds of people who do unarmed security in my country: a) students like I was, who need some cash b) retirees whose pensions are too shit to survive, yes you often see 60-70 year old GRANDPAS standing guard at supermarkets here, and c) people with literally zero other prospects, who can be put in some site like mine where they can show up drunk or high because they quite literally can't fuck anything up. A Russian friend of mine's grandpa worked as security and I don't remember exactly how the saying goes about security guards but it went something like "If you can stand up from a sitting position, you're perfect for security, if you can stand up from a laying position, you're perfect for night security." This was a saying from the '60s Soviet Union, so no matter what time or which place and the level of development they have, the standards to work a security job was always through the floor.
The only reason why illiterate brownoids don't work this job is because our shitty politicians have been gracious enough not to mass import them here. Yet. Unfortunately, I feel like we're on borrowed time regarding that and that in a few years supermarkets, malls, parks etc. will be filled to the brim with illiterate skinnyfat 160cm tall jeets acting tough against the native populace because they have a high vis vest with SECURITY written on it until Nebojša gets tired of his jeetbabble and socks him in the jaw.
